War On Christmas: Pelosi Mugged?

Day three of Tommy and Caleb's Twelve Days of the War on Christmas.

Last week, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on faith and heritage at the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. She made much of the new religion, being green, but also took a stand in the "War on Christmas". She said that the faith represented by the Christmas tree was part of our heritage, remarked on "all the gifts God has given us and how blessed we are," and suggested that this was a season to say a prayer for world peace. With the help of a fourth-grade student, she lit the tree to the cheers of the crowd and the sounds of the Air Force Band playing "O Christmas Tree". Then she told a Reverend that she was "mugged" because of it.

Also at the ceremony was VIP guest Rev. Rob Schenck, of the group Faith and Action. After the ceremony, Rev. Schenck approached the Speaker to thank her. He told her that he appreciated her keeping it "Christ-mas" at the capitol, emphasizing the word "Christ". He says he wanted to make sure that Pelosi knew that her words and the ceremony were appreciated. In a phone interview this afternoon, I asked the Reverend to recount the moment for me.

At first, the Speaker paused, appearing to reflect on his comment. So he repeated his thanks, smiled and shook her hand and began to walk away. Surprisingly, though, Pelosi followed Schenck and placed her hand on his arm to get his attention.

"You know, I got mugged for that," she said.

Schenck didn't, at first, read too much into her comment. He said to her how much she was appreciated and thanked her again, a general conversation. But the Speaker repeated herself. He said her face was earnest, she looked at him pointedly as she repeated "No, you ought to know, I really got mugged for that." His impression, from her demeanor and expression, was that someone had really gotten to her in a way that she really didn't see coming. Her expression conveyed "consternation" and "frustration".

Reverend Schenck points out that this is Nancy Pelosi, known for being a quintessential San Francisco liberal. She's the most powerful woman in the country and a force in the party which is, perhaps unwillingly, home to those who would silence Christmas. "If they will attack her ..." he says, leaving the conclusion unvoiced.

Indeed. In listening the Reverend's recounting of the moment, it sounds clear that the Speaker endured some type of hardship. For what? Perhaps for insisting on calling the ceremony a Christmas ceremony rather than a holiday ceremony. Perhaps for her remarks acknowledging the historic role that Judaism and Christianity have played in this nation. Whatever the specifics, the situation is clear. Nancy Pelosi was "mugged" because she wanted to light the Christmas tree.

When the War on Christmas comes up, there is a tendency of the elite media and liberal blogs to treat it like a joke, a phantom fabrication of Fox News to give Bill O'Reilly something to talk about. Certainly the phrase "War on Christmas" is provocative, and certainly it has been used to cover stories that are realistically fairly innocuous. However, that doesn't change the fact that there are very real attacks on the holiday and on Christianity at large happening around this country. Whether it is political correctness run amok as in North Carolina, or a vicious attack sign in Washington state, there are real and serious incidents in the so-called war that deserve attention. That someone like Speaker Pelosi can be victim of what appears to be a callous ambush over something like the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree lighting should tell you much.

Reverend Schenck says it isn't about free speech or equal time, or any of those cover stories groups like Freedom From Religion Foundation use. It's about attacking people who promote or even, it would seem, mention Christian faith. When the Speaker of the House, a left-coast Democrat who routinely angers Catholics on abortion issues and religious doctrine, is being "mugged" for having Christmas, it's pretty hard to argue with the Reverend. If they'll target her with such pressure ...

Last week Nancy Pelosi spoke about Christmas and faith in America, and because of that she suffered negative consequences. She is often wrong, especially on religion, but this time she was right. So from this right-coast conservative: Merry Christmas to you, Speaker Pelosi.